Wilford Woodruff's miraculous preservation during the Chesapeake steamer wreck
Published October 4, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
On September 25, 1841, Wilford Woodruff, his wife Phebe Carter, and their young son were traveling aboard the steamer Chesapeake on Lake Michigan, bound for Chicago and Nauvoo. About 40 miles from land, a violent hurricane-force gale struck around midnight. The heavily loaded vessel carried nearly 300 passengers, luggage, livestock, and wood; waves repeatedly swept over its low bow, and livestock were thrown into the steerage cabin or overboard. The wheel chain snapped, and passengers feared the vessel was lost. The crew threw 20 cords of wood overboard to lighten the boat. Woodruff awoke to cries that all were lost, but felt a distinct spiritual assurance that they would survive. He and his family endured the storm until it ceased the following morning.
In Their Own Words
“We were some forty miles from land when the gale struck us, and I was awoke from a sound sleep by the cry, “We are all lost.” The first thought that struck my mind was—No, we shall not be lost. I immediately leaped out of my berth, and went on to the upper deck. I saw we were in imminent danger of being wrecked; the bow of the boat was heavily laden, and frequently engulphed in the heavy waves that washed over her; there were judged to be fifty tons of water at a time upon her bow... I did not once expect to be lost, for I believed the Lord would save me, my wife and child, who were with me, from a watery grave, by some means. — Millennial Star 18:42”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 22 April 1889 (Vol. 51, No. 16). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1889-04-22_51_16 Additional sources (periodical research): Wilford Woodruff Papers… The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 18 October 1856 (Vol. 18, No. 42). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1856-10-18_18_42 Additional sources (periodical research): Wilford Woodruff Papers…
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